Photos of the day 02/23

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Two men celebrate after being pulled out of a destroyed building in Christchurch, New Zealand, 24 hours after a devastating earthquake. The death toll climbed to 75, with many dozens still trapped inside collapsed buildings. John Kirk-Anderson/Christchurch Press/Reuters

Shiite Muslim clerics Sheik Habib Maqdad (l.) and Sheik al-Nouri are greeted by anti-government protesters following their release by authorities at the Pearl roundabout in Manama, Bahrain. Thousands of anti-government protesters marched to the square after Bahrain's king released at least 100 political prisoners, an acknowledgment by the Sunni ruler of the mounting pressure being placed on him by the Shiite opposition. Hasan Jamali/AP

Rudy Morales prepares the red carpet for the 83rd Academy Awards outside the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The Academy Awards will be held Sunday. Matt Sayles/AP

Garda Officer Ronan McNamara (l.) and Hugh O' Donald, Presiding Officer, travel with the ballot box to Inishfree Island off the coast of Donegal, Ireland. Islanders voted today in the general election; the Irish mainland will vote on Friday. Peter Morrison/AP

The Holmenkollen ski jump is reflected in the goggles of Akito Watabe of Japan during training for the men's Nordic combined individual normal hill at the Nordic Ski World Championships in Oslo, Norway. Petr Josek/Reuters

Members of Brunei's armed forces march past the royal dais during the 27th celebration of Brunei National Day in Bandar Seri Begawan. Ahim Rani/Reuters

Keith Wilkins (r.) and a member of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network keep a sperm whale calf stabilized in the surf on the West End of Galveston, Texas. Wilkins and his daughter discovered the beached whale during a walk on the beach. The whale was taken to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facility on the island. Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News/AP

Riot Police run away from fire bombs during a protest in Athens. Scores of youths hurled rocks and petrol bombs at riot police after clashes broke out during a mass rally taking place as part of a general strike. Dimitri Messinis/AP

Toronto Blue Jays teammates gather on the field before a drill during baseball spring training in Dunedin, Fla. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press/AP

Models walk down the runway as they present creations from the Sarkany 2011 Fall/Winter collection during Buenos Aires Fashion Week in Argentina. Marcos Brindicci/Reuters

A US Marine from the First Battalion Eighth Marines Alpha Company looks out as an evening storm gathers above an outpost near Kunjak in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province. Finbarr O'Reilly/Reuters

A crowd greets Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah upon his arrival at Riyadh airport. King Abdullah unveiled a series of benefits for Saudis estimated to be worth $35 billion on his return home from three months abroad for medical treatment. The action plan, which includes funding to offset high inflation, to help young unemployed people and support families to get affordable housing, was made as popular protests over poverty, corruption and repression hit many Arab countries. Saudi Press Agency/Reuters

A Tunisian woman drinks water inside a bus minutes after crossing into Tunisia at the Ras Jdir border to flee the unrest in Libya. Thousands of Tunisians are fleeing Libya, many across its western land border, after a bloody crackdown on protests against the rule of Muammar Qaddafi. Tunisia has at least 30,000 nationals in Libya and officials fear they could become targets because of Tunisia's role in inspiring uprisings across the Arab world. Tunisia's leader was overthrown in January, and Egypt's president fell on Feb. 11. Yannis Behrakis/Reuters

Japanese ornamental hina dolls, made of pure gold, are unveiled at the Ginza Tanaka store in Tokyo. Hina dolls, representing the Emperor and Empress, are decorations for the Hinamatsuri dolls festival which will be held on March 3 to pray for young girls' growth and happiness. The dolls, which are made out of 30g of pure gold, are priced at $4,232 a pair. Yuriko Nakao/Reuters

Yemeni anti-government protestors are seen through a shattered car windshield as they chant slogans during a demonstration demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa, Yemen. Government supporters and police in Yemen have shot and killed at least one demonstrator while trying to dismantle a protest camp in the capital. The demonstrators are demanding an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 32-years in power and complaining of corruption and poverty. Muhammed Muheisen/AP

A stray dog rests as workers clean seats at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, the venue for the ICC Cricket World Cup league match between South Africa and West Indies in New Delhi. Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP

A skier takes a jump during sunny winter weather at the Swiss mountain area of Hoch-Ybrig some 34 miles south of Zurich. Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

Paul Schuler (l.) of Germany fights for a ball with Omar Touni of Canada during their international Volvo water polo cup match in Miskolc, east of Budapest, Hungary. Laszlo Balogh/Reuters

On Friday, Russia's sports ministry denied accusations of state-sponsored doping that implicate more than 1,000 athletes across more than 30 sports in sample swapping, tampering with samples, and taking steroid cocktails designed to evade Olympic testing.